The FBI just took action after Republican candidate threatens to shoot Democratic Congressman

As gun violence continues to spread through American schools in the form of horrific mass shootings, the Republicans insist on coldly holding the line against common sense gun reform in service of their calloused NRA donors and the lobbying efforts of the firearm manufacturing industry.

Today, in a tweet that perfectly exemplified how unhinged the GOP has become on the gun issue, a candidate for Kentucky’s Secretary of State joked that he wanted to shoot Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth.

The threatening tweet was in response to Yarmuth sharing a photograph of himself proudly wearing a pin depicting his F rating from the NRA, a symbol of his opposition to their bloodthirsty agenda.

Add your name to demand Trump & Congress act to prevent gun violence. THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE NOT ENOUGH!

The Republican candidate, Carl B. Nett is a former Secret Service Agent, reports The Hill. He tweeted out that he had been trained to aim for “center mass” and that Yarmuth should move his pin, presumably so that Nett would have an easier target while aiming his gun at the sitting lawmaker.

“Move it over just a bit. I was trained center mass,” Nett tweeted, before realizing what a bad idea it was and quickly deleting the message. Unfortunately for him, screenshots of the violent joke had already spread.

Bad press might be the least of Nett’s problems though. The FBI is now investigating the threat. “FBI Louisville is aware of the tweet and is working with our law enforcement partners to determine the best course of action,” a spokesman for the bureau told The Courier-Journal.

In a pathetic attempt at damage control, Nett tweeted that he had defended the lives of numerous Democrats in the past – as if that somehow absolves him of threatening violence on Yarmuth.

Unfortunately for Nett, a Twitter user was able to dredge up an old tweet in which he implied that he stopped serving as Secret Service for President Obama because he didn’t deserve Nett’s protection. In Nett’s words, he isn’t a “bullet sponge for just anybody.” The tweet is a disgrace. A man like this doesn’t belong anywhere in government, and he should suspend his campaign immediately.

Natalie Dickinson

Natalie is a staff writer for the Washington Press. She graduated from Oberlin College in 2010 and has been freelance blogging and writing for progressive outlets ever since.